Dear Buffalo Supporters,

We did it! We made it to the end of another year together. 2023 has been a year of dynamic change and growth for Buffalo Field Campaign. We are grateful that you have remained at our side and continue to grow with us.

If you recall, we began the year with the mass buffalo fatalities caused by a semi-truck on Highway 191 near West Yellowstone. From there, things never slowed down. We needed every donation you made to meet the increasing demands of being in the field preventing buffalo-vehicle collisions, monitoring buffalo migrations, engaging with tribal people, documenting government mismanagement and faulty planning, and magnifying your voice: the American people. 2023 has brought many challenges, new learning opportunities, and with your support, an increase in our capacity to persevere into the future. We are honored you have chosen to grow with us.

Your generous donations ensure our essential work continues. I've said it many times before: your donations and support are the winds beneath our wings. Your generous giving maintains our traffic-calming presence on highways as we strive to avert buffalo-vehicle collisions. Your generosity reaches local communities as we work together to develop solutions such as a wildlife crossing bridge to protect wildlife and people.

Every donation you make matters as much as every shovelful of snow moved by our dedicated Shovel Brigade volunteers aiding buffalo migrations in real-time. Your donations make all we do possible. As we address the growing issues affecting the well- being of Yellowstone buffalo, you have grown with us.

Your giving supports the hosting of tribal youth groups and students at our headquarters, and our vital work alongside our tribal partners. We recently hosted eleven tribes who sent delegates to our Tribal Buffalo Summit in Fort Hall, Idaho on National Bison Day. The Summit was the campaign's opportunity to listen and learn from the assembled leaders, honor and celebrate each other's unique buffalo lifeways, and affirm our mutual support for treaty rights and tribal sovereignty. Your donations have allowed us to grow our capacity to engage a diverse tribal community with the respectful values instilled by our co-founder and Lakota elder, the late Rosalie Little Thunder.

Empowering individuals who feel the call to action has been the backbone of our campaign since our founding. Volunteers are the unsung heroes of Yellowstone's long winters and our field season. Volunteers come and accept any and all duties necessary to keep our on the ground programs functioning smoothly. We can now add interns to our list of heroes. Our growing internship program facilitates higher learning, and furthers the understanding of Yellowstone buffalo ecology. Working closely with students from Bowling Green to Rutgers, we continue to expand our field knowledge of buffalo, while supporting the educational goals of emerging leaders. Your financial support involves and educates people from all over the country with life-changing experiences founded in wild buffalo advocacy and education.

With the multiplying effects of climate change, extreme weather, habitat destruction, and government refusal to respect buffalo as wildlife, it is imperative the campaign continues advocating for wild buffalo in the legislative, policy, and management arenas. After two successful court cases, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service must now consider our 492-page analysis of factors jeopardizing Yellowstone's wild buffalo herds as it conducts a 12-month species review using the best available science. We must continue engaging in Yellowstone National Park's fatally-flawed planning process and strive to ensure greater protections for the imperiled herds and their migratory range. We will endeavor to act in support of developing and implementing the Trinity Act to facilitate tribal co-stewardship of buffalo, grizzly bear, and wolf in tribal homelands. An ecosystem, holistic approach that provides multi-species benefits is vital to protecting wild Yellowstone buffalo.

We've recently replaced the electrical wiring in our main lodge, office and living cabins—ensuring we are safe and up to code. New gear is needed. Equipment needs to be replaced. Contributions are needed for new roofs. Our kitchen needs to be replenished with provisions to feed all who come to help the buffalo. Our field vehicles need to be kept in roadworthy condition. Your donations will help us stay fed, safe and prepared while we stand with Yellowstone buffalo.

Thank you for your big-hearted donations during a time of great importance for Yellowstone buffalo. Buffalo Field Campaign has accomplished so much thanks to your support, and we must continue to grow and adapt to the changing conditions affecting wild buffalo persistence into an uncertain future.

For the Buffalo,

James Holt, executive director Buffalo Field Campaign